Sally Rand

Notorious Sally Rand was considered the greatest fan dancer ever, but before she caused a national scandal by performing her first "obscene" dance at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, Rand was a seductive movie actress during the '20s. A native of Hickory County, MO, she was born Helen Gould Beck. At age 13, she ran away and moved to Kansas City where she worked as a cigarette girl in a nightclub. She held several similar jobs until she entered Hollywood films as a lead and supporting actress in the mid-'20s. Though she appeared in numerous average-quality features, her film career collapsed with the advent of sound. Following her illustrious debut at the World's Fair, the naturally blonde, diminutive, and graceful Rand quickly rose to national popularity. By modern standards, her dances were tame. Never completely nude, she used to say "the Rand is quicker than the eye" and would prove it by deftly manipulating her fans, or a large bubble, in such a way as to give audiences a tantalizing taste, but never a banquet, of her natural bounty. Still, it was enough to get her arrested while simultaneously earning her the informal designation of a "national treasure." Rand continued doing fan dances up through her death in the late '70s.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide